swsefandomcom-20200215-history
Creating New Worlds
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Unknown Regions See also: Exploration Campaigns, Galactic Gazetteer Encountering new worlds is central to Unknown Regions adventures. New worlds should be only as detailed as the adventure goals require. Some planets might require superficial descriptions, but others might need significant details for an extended stay or adventure. This section includes two methods of world creation: building a planet from scratch (Mainly for detailed worlds), or using the Planet Generator to create simpler worlds quickly or on the fly. Creating Planets Creating an entirely new world gives you great freedom in adventure design. Every aspect of a world's environment and history can be generated and tinkered with to enhance the storyline. Although assembling a well-thought-out world takes time, the following steps can guide you through the process. You can also use elements from the Planet Generator for inspiration. Step 1: Start with a Basic Idea Each planet should start with a strong basic element, idea , or theme that makes the planet memorable and plays a central role in its use in an adventure. This element might be climatic, such as the desert world of Tatooine or icy Hoth. It might be ecological, such as The Forest Moon of Endor or volcanic Mustafar. It might be thematic, such as the administrative planet-city of Coruscant or the underworld planet-city of Nar Shaddaa. A new world should support your story as much as possible. Create types of worlds you want to feature, and avoid elements you don't need in your adventure. Star Wars planets typically focus on a single dominant feature or environment. All planets have a variety of climates and features, but focusing your story on the world's dominant or impressive elements makes for a memorable locale. Step 2: Develop Key Themes and Features Next, develop the overall theme of the planet. Is it harsh, lush, violent, or desolate? Is it friendly or dangerous to the heroes? Is there a society, and if so, are the heroes familiar with it? While developing the planet's theme, you should also think about memorable features for the heroes to interact with. Since Star Wars uses locations and items of a massive scale, bigger can be better and very impressive. Examples include climbing through the massive wroshyr trees of Kashyyyk or navigating the never-ending city of Coruscant. Focusing on a consistent theme enhances your players' experience in the limited time that they spend on the planet. In fact. if they remember and refer to a world in shorthand such as "That blazing planet with the nasty, poisonous, killer beasts," you can be sure that the planet made an impression. Themes also help players anticipate and prepare for what they might encounter. Step 3: Populate the World Next, add the overall environmental details, including civilization, foliage, and creatures. These items must work together to create a believable planet. If something is drastically out of place, you should have a good reason for it, to sustain your players' suspension of disbelief. Don't overlook this technique as a source of adventure ideas, however. An out-of-place creature might be a major encounter clue for the heroes to follow. Decide if the world has a sentient population and, if so, how technologically advanced it is. Planets in Star Wars feature civilizations of all levels, sometimes with the most primitive and the highly advanced sharing the same world. Remember that cultural advancement and technological advancement do not necessarily occur at the same rate. A technologically advanced civilization might be primitive in its social structure, perhaps obtaining its technology from visiting traders or by force rather than developing it on it's own. Consider how widespread the civilization is. For clarity, worlds should include only a single civilization, unless you intend to feature the interaction of two or more groups in the adventure. Decide how the population lives. Are there cities, and if so, of approximately what size and distribution around the planet? What form does a city take? Is it made up of standard buildings, underground dwellings, underwater structures, or floating platforms? Are the planet's inhabitants a new Species of your own design, or a known Species transplanted from elsewhere in the galaxy? One easy option is to use the information on creating Near-Humans to create a Species that is familiar, yet with a twist of its own. If more than one sentient Species is on the world, decide how well they get along. Most importantly, decide how the civilization will interact with your adventurers. Determine their basic culture and their tolerance for the actions that most heroes engage in. Where they collide with the heroes' activities, you will have ready-made situations for drama and conflict. Outline a basic government, particularly the portions the heroes might encounter. This includes local law enforcement, bureaucrats, and even influential fringe elements. Once you determine the reach of the civilization, you will know how much wilderness is available for wild creatures and large-scale ecological systems such as forests or oceans. Decide which basic environments the heroes are likely to encounter. Doing this can help you determine the types and number of plants that grow in the area . Additionally, consider the common Hazards that occur on the world, such as an active volcano, a poisonous rainfall, an unstable atmosphere, or frequent earthquakes. See Hazards for additional details and ideas. Creatures and Beasts are common antagonists in Star Wars adventures. Most are hostile and dangerous, although beneficial and helpful creatures can make for an equally memorable story. Match your creatures to your environment. See the Creature Generator for suggestions and inspiration. Step 4: Name the World You can call your new world whatever you want, but some names fit into the galaxy better than others. Most planet names in Star Wars are made up from scratch, although some are related to real-world names, words, or concepts. If the heroes are visiting a completely unknown world, they might have nothing more than a star chart identification number. Avoid creating a name that is too long or unpronounceable, or the players will shorten it to a nickname you probably won't appreciate. Step 5: Adventurers and Campaigns Ultimately, the planet sets the scene for the adventure. Because Unknown Regions adventures deal with mysterious locales, the planet should play a prominent role in the adventure. The heroes should sometimes face the challenge of overcoming an aspect of the planet. It might be the central focus of some adventures, such as surviving a crash on a wild and dangerous world, or it could be an interesting backdrop used for dramatic effect to introduce a new culture. Give your new world a level of detail that is appropriate for your adventure length. For a single adventure, even over several gaming sessions, focus on the main encounter area and provide a general overview of the rest of the planet. If you plan to use this world for an extended campaign or as a base of operations for the heroes, develop specific details, but dole them out as play progresses. Each encounter or session should reveal a new facet of the planet. Worlds used for campaigns can afford to be more complex in environment, culture, or both. Planet Generator Need a planet in a hurry or quick inspiration for your new world? The Planet Generator enables you to create a quick overview of a planet featuring a few memorable elements. Roll on each table to create a completely random world, or pick and choose suitable elements. Feel free to combine the two methods as needed. The Planet Generator starts with the Star System (Or equivalent) and becomes more detailed with each table. If a result is inconsistent with the planet type, skip it or reroll on the same table. System Type Roll 1d20 and compare the results below: Number of Planets in System Roll 1d20 and compare the results below: Planet Type Roll 1d10 and compare the results below: Number of Moons Roll 1d20 and compare the results below: For Gas Giants, add 20 moons and roll twice, ignoring duplicate Rings results, Asteroid Clusters, and Debris Field. Atmosphere Roll 1d20 and compare the results below: Based on Human compatibility. Hours Per Day Roll 1d20 and compare the results below: Local Days Per Year Roll 1d20 and compare the results below: Climate Roll 1d6 and compare the results below: Dominant Environment Roll 1d20 and compare the results below: Select Subtype(s) as necessary. Skip for Gas Giants. Gravity Roll 1d6 and compare the results below: Sentient Population Roll 1d8 and compare the results below: Technological Development Roll 1d6 and compare the results below: Dominant Government Roll 1d20 and compare the results below: Economic Basis Roll 1d20 and compare the results below: Significant Feature Roll 1d20 and compare the results below: Cultural Quirks Roll 1d20 and compare the results below: Family Customs Roll 1d20 and compare the results below: Cities and Architecture Roll 1d20 and compare the results below: